


Hostages to Fate

by enigmaticblue



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-24
Updated: 2012-11-24
Packaged: 2017-11-19 10:05:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/572107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticblue/pseuds/enigmaticblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John needs tangible reassurance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hostages to Fate

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the hc_bingo prompt "hostages". Spoilers for "The Storm" and "The Eye."

John breathes out a sigh of relief as the last Genii body is collected and stuck in cold storage, waiting for later disposal. Sora is locked up in one of the Wraith cages, with Elizabeth planning on sending her back as a gesture of good faith.

 

While John has no faith that the Genii will accept that gesture, he’s hopeful that losing nearly sixty soldiers will make them think twice about storming Atlantis again.

 

He finds Elizabeth out on one of the balconies. “Hey, have you seen McKay?” he asks.

 

She shakes her head. “I sent him to the infirmary to get his arm looked at.”

 

John nods, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. “How are you feeling?”

 

Elizabeth offers a shaky smile. “I’m probably going to crash soon,” she admits. “John, what you did today—”

 

When she falters, John says, “It’s all part of the service.”

 

“You went above and beyond,” she replies, her expression soft with concern. “Get some rest.”

 

John shrugs. “Sure.”

 

He has no intention of going back to his quarters just yet, not without checking in on Rodney. Elizabeth is clearly shaken, but she’s unharmed. Rodney hadn’t escaped entirely unscathed, however, and John needs to know that he’s okay.

 

John finds McKay in the infirmary, bitching at the nurse trying to bandage his arm. “You’ll want to avoid getting your stitches wet,” Lieutenant Robbins instructs.

 

“How am I supposed to shower?” Rodney demands. “Because I really need to shower.”

 

Robbins opens her mouth to respond, and John decides to intercede, since she looks like she’s reaching the end of her patience, and Rodney appears to be near blowing a gasket. “You really do need a shower, buddy,” John inserts, causing Robbins to smirk and Rodney to scowl.

 

“I’ll find you a plastic bag to cover your arm with,” Robbins says.

 

“Don’t worry about it, I have one,” John replies. “Come on, McKay. Let’s get you squared away.”

 

“He’s dead, isn’t he?” Rodney demands as he follows John out of the infirmary. “Please tell me he’s dead.”

 

John shrugs. “It’s possible, but I hit him in the shoulder. If he gets immediate medical attention—” At Rodney’s dismayed expression, he amends, “—but it’s entirely possible that he’ll die.”

 

“You couldn’t have shot him in the head?” Rodney asks. “You _could_ have shot him in the head, right?”

 

“The shoulder was a better bet to get him to let go of Elizabeth. If I’d shot him in the head, he could have dragged her through the gate with him,” John explains. “Let me stop by my quarters first, and I’ll grab what you need.”

 

Rodney wanders inside behind John as he rummages around for the plastic bag and rubber band he knows that he has. John’s had to cover enough stitches to have the supplies on hand.

 

“You did good, by the way,” John says as he finds it. “Really good.”

 

Rodney blinks at him. “I broke.”

 

“You saved the city,” John counters. “Look, McKay—” He pauses, trying to come up with the right words. He claps a free hand on Rodney’s shoulder, then moves it to wrap around the back of his neck.

 

John can’t explain that he needs this—he needs to touch Rodney and know that Rodney’s in one piece, that he’s going to be okay.

 

Confusion flits across Rodney’s expression, and then John sees a dawning realization. “Oh. _Oh._ ”

 

“Oh, what?” John asks irritably.

 

Rodney beams at him. “You were worried.”

 

John scowls. “Of course I was worried.”

 

Rodney’s grin falters a bit. “Yeah, me too.”

 

John realizes that he still has a grip on Rodney, and he drops his hand. “Yeah, well, it stands to reason.”

 

“I was worried about _you_ , you madman,” Rodney says. “I mean, I was worried about me, too, obviously, and Elizabeth, but I knew what was happening to us.”

 

John does what he’s best and deflects. “I didn’t know you cared.”

 

Rodney scowls. “Don’t be stupid. I know you’re not.”

 

“Yeah.” John looks away, unable to meet Rodney’s eyes. “Look, are you going to be okay? Because I can stay with you if you want.”

 

John isn’t sure what he’s hoping for, but Rodney says, “I really do need to shower, but maybe we can watch a movie after? I’m not sure I can sleep yet.”

 

John tries to hide his sigh of relief. “Yeah, sure. I’ll, uh, I’ll grab a shower and meet you in your quarters.”

 

“Okay.” Rodney stares at him uncertainly, and then, without warning, he grabs John’s shoulders and pulls him in for a kiss, which is messy and a little too wet, but so very good in spite of that.

 

John’s hands settle on Rodney’s upper arms, and when the brief kiss breaks off, he leans his forehead against Rodney’s. “Okay,” he confirms softly. “We’re okay.”

 

Rodney backs off. “I’ll see you in a few.”

 

And then Rodney is gone, and John realizes that he’s taken a leap he’d never intended on taking, although he has no regrets.

 

Not about this, at least.

 

He’d never intended to care about anyone the way he cares about these people. John thought he’d learned his lesson in Afghanistan, but apparently not. And now he’s just going to make it harder on himself when he inevitably loses them, but he’s going to do it anyway.

 

He’s going to take a shower and head to Rodney’s quarters, and then they’re going to watch a movie, and then—who knows?

 

John has given over hostages to fate again, and he’s just going to have to live with the consequences.


End file.
